Doubling down on his previous claim, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said a new video from the past has come to light where former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appeared to reiterate his statement that "Muslims have the first right to the country’s wealth."
Addressing an election rally in the Araria Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar, PM Modi targeted the opposition Congress party and its “ecosystem”, who had vehemently denied Singh ever making such a statement.
"Some people get very angry when I talk about Congress giving priority to only Muslims. They have been talking about me since last week. Today, I challenge all of them," PM Modi said.
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PM Modi accused the media of selectively targeting him while ignoring evidence that supported his claims.
"They said that Manmohan Singh never said something like this. However, today, another one of his old videos has come to light in which he is saying the same thing," PM Modi asserted.
“The media which was denying my statements earlier are keeping quiet now. I was witnessing how the media was attacking me without any relevant information or even without doing a fact check,” he added.
Fact-Check: Did Manmohan Singh advocate 'first right' to resources for Muslims as claimed by PM Modi?
{{/usCountry}}“The media which was denying my statements earlier are keeping quiet now. I was witnessing how the media was attacking me without any relevant information or even without doing a fact check,” he added.
Fact-Check: Did Manmohan Singh advocate 'first right' to resources for Muslims as claimed by PM Modi?
{{/usCountry}}BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya shared a video on X in which Manmohan Singh appears to be taking questions from the media.
In the video, which doesn't have the part where the reporter asks the question, Manmohan Singh can be heard saying, “I did not say the same thing. I said minorities, particularly Muslim minorities, if they are poor, they have a prior claim on the resources of the nation. I used the word 'all' for all minorities and I added, particularly Muslim minorities, if they are poor, they have prior right to resources and I stand by it.”
Modi also accused the Congress of having "stolen" reservations meant for the OBCs and transferring the benefits to Muslims in Karnataka, where the party is in power.
The grand old party wanted to replicate the "conspiracy" in the rest of the country, including in Bihar where its ally "has not spoken a word against" the move in the southern state, he alleged.
"Being an OBC myself, I know the hardships faced by the backward classes", said Modi, adding, "in future, they may loot reservations for SCs and STs as well".